Tynemouth Hockey Club History

Tynemouth Hockey Club History

Notes taken from Club records and correspondence since 1902

Founded July 1902 as a result of a letter signed by H. C. Martin, R. P. Paynter and J. M. Rounthwaite. The Club was officially formed on 4th October 1902. The first match was played on 18th October 1902 against Novocastrians. North Durham HC, as it was known, lost this match by 4 goals to 1.

1908/09 Season: New members to be elected at the AGM or by the committee. A ballot and “two black balls shall exclude”. Each nomination to be in writing and signed by two club members. Resigning members must give notice in writing to secretary by end of October. The secretary was instructed to buy six towels and some soap for the changing rooms. Badges were awarded for good play.

1909/10 Proposal to hold a dinner at Tilley’s Café in Newcastle – a minimum of 20 acceptances required.

1910/11 Proposal to invite York HC, who was playing North Durham HC on that day to attend the club dinner. NDHC to pay for one member of York HC! Dinner at the Turk’s Head at 4/- a head.

1911/12 Proposal that lemons be provided for home games. Debt from last season 0f £5 4s 3d should be wiped off by open subscription list. Proposal to move to Northumberland Polo Club ground – offer £15 pa for ground and pavilion. Pay Wallsend £5 for broken contract – paid for by committee members guaranteeing the cost. Groundsman’s fee at Polo Club, Gosforth – 2/6d per match for marking pitch. 2/- if no marking was done. “Owing to the unsportsmanlike play of Armstrong Whitworth, it was suggested they be struck off our list of 2nd team matches.” Complaint by Polo Club about the present state of the ground – playing pitch position had not been changed all season. Anyone not paying their subs by 31st Dec. should have their name posted on the board at the clubhouse.

1912/13 Problem with the Polo Club ground – “it has been left all the summer for hay and was in a very bad condition for hockey.” A dinner to be arranged at the Turk’s Head in a private room with a piano at no more than 4/6d a head.

1913/14 Change at Gosforth Park Hotel for 2/6d a week for a room. 3rd Sept. 1914. “That owing to the existing war conditions all play be abandoned for the forthcoming season unless Peace is declared before the close of the season.”

WORLD WAR ONE

1919/20 12th June 1919. Letter to all past members to restart the Hockey Club. “…it is very important that new members should join the club and if you know any likely men, you are requested to invite them to this meeting…In the interests of Hockey in general it is hoped that all old members of this club will help to keep up the standard of this sport, and this can be only done by personal touch of old members, until such time as the game is again on a sound footing.”

Press coverage as well. Idea initiated at an informal gathering at the Criterion Restaurant, Newcastle, over the dinner table. 17th June 1919 meeting to reform NDHC. Older members urged to take a playing interest “to help the new and younger players to quickly arrive at the proficiency which the records of the club demanded.”

1920 financial statement includes – 15/1 for hire of a horse!

1920/21 NDHC approached by Northern Football Club to sublet an area for a football pitch.

1921/22 Hockey League. Committee asked if they intended to put forward a proposal or endorse the forming of a Hockey League. NO was the reply. Request to advertise the club and put results in the Press.

1922/23 Complaint that 2nd team was often short of players. Felt 1st and 2nd teams should share loss equally and both play short if necessary. 1st team captain suggested that slackness was the cause. The secretary was requested to make arrangements for all club members to be supplied with blazers.

1923/4 Scarborough Festival. “The Easter Scarborough Tour was well worth taking part in. The cost was infinitesimal and the enjoyment is the maximum.”

1925/6 Selection of Mr. Nicholson as 1st X1 coach. 1st X1 players reprimanded for not replying to selection cards by Wednesday. Some criticized for not wearing club colours.

1926/7 Worry over increased subs from £1 1s to £1 5s leading to decline in numbers. “NDHC was the best in the NE and that it was up to the younger members to take an active interest in the club’s welfare and keep it in the premier position in the future.”

1928/9 Dinner was a great success – 25 gentlemen present at Turk’s Head. A dance was held at the Gosforth Park Hotel and “was the first function of this description the club had ever dabbled in.” Change of colours – Red shirts and black collars and cuffs, black shorts and green stockings.

1929/30 President referred to unusual slackness combined with a lack of team spirit. Solution suggested was “cheery evenings or at least a cup of tea. All together, after each home game.” Clousten Hill was proving very unsatisfactory. Levy of 3d per cup of tea. Visiting teams to pay for their own refreshments except in the case of those teams who gave us a decent tea when we visited them!

1930/31 NDHC to be affiliated to Northumberland and not Durham HA, Mr. Moody’s application for membership was rejected as the club had enough players! 10/- gratuity at Xmas for groundsman for painting the Club balls.

1931/32 Proposal for the new ground at Fenham. Teas for visitors now provided free irrespective of the quality of their teas.

1932/33 Big debate on Club colours. Decide to change socks to black with red tops. Club dinner at the County Hotel – 4/6d a head to include the cost of entertainment, Mr. W. Wallace, entertainer and Mr. J. Renwick, a ventriloquist to be hired.

1933/34 “Secretary should write to every member and request them to try and recruit one friend to join the club.”

1934/5 “Late starting of home games was a bad feature and members were urged to show more courtesy to visiting teams.” A lively discussion about coaching was held and it was suggested that the rules of hockey be displayed in the changing room. “More time to be spent advertising the club and get in touch with the local papers for the sake of getting new players and for publicity generally.”

1935/36 It was suggested a match fee of 1/- per head be levied – 6d for tea and 6d for club funds. Discussion about grounds – Dame Allan’s School the favoured one.

1936/37 Decided to give the following teams the 1/- teas instead of the 6d teas as they had to travel a long way – Morpeth, Ashington. Tynedale, Durham Colleges, Bishop Auckland. Plans for a social evening – tea in town and then a visit to the theatre. Poor playing season blamed on an inability to field the same team each week and the poor finishing of the forwards! The team also played better when the opposition was of a higher standard. 25/- stolen from the changing rooms: sum to be repaid by a whip round of the players – voluntary!

1937/38 Supper and trip to theatre. In 2nd half of season only 20 players for two teams: had to rely on other clubs e.g. 12th Field Brigade. If home games cancelled, club to seek a rebate from Dame Allan’s Headmaster.

1938/39 A potpie supper and trip to theatre. Need to find new ground, as Dame Allan’s need their fields on Saturdays. Suggestions for new grounds – RGS, Gosforth Park, CWS and failing all others, some farm land! Northumberland HA to be approached about their laxity! Visit by Carlisle HC. Instead of usual teas, team was taken to Carrick’s at cost of 19/6. 11/- was collected from members. Exception as they had traveled a long way.

1939/40 Secured Polo Ground at Gosforth Park. Mr. Hudspith of Low Brunton Farm was to roll pitch for £3-00. Teas at Gosforth Park Hotel at 6d a head. Umpires were very hard to obtain. Northunberland HA had failed to function other than to select a County team. No County meetings. A gate was left open at the Polo Ground during a match and ponies wandered onto the main road. New lock and three keys distributed.

5th October 1939 Extraordinary meeting. 25 members at the end of last season. Already 14 members in HM Forces or in charge of evacuated children. Other clubs in the same position. Only Colleges running teams. Ground at Gosforth Park taken over by the Army. Club equipment and records to be stored in Mr. Mahon’s cottage. Agreed to suspend activities of the Club for the duration of the war. Current funds stood at £17 18s 0d.

World War 11

1945/46 AGM to reform the club. Old ground at Gosforth Park still in the hands of the Army. Option on Tynemouth CC but when taken up, Tynemouth raised the rent to £15-15s. Decided to use Nesco Sports Ground, Wallsend for 6 matches and play the rest away from home. Discussion about ground. Gosforth Park uncertain as Army had not de-requisitioned it. Settlement of damages still in abeyance. Nesco Sports not available next season. Matter left to a sub committee.

1946 Extraordinary meeting called as no ground available. Agreed to play all games away and only charge 10/- subscription.

1946/47 Ground. Used Barracks Sports Ground for first three months of the year, but army required use of ground after Christmas. Meant fixtures rearranged and some cancelled. No ground for new season: sub committee to look at Tynemouth CC, Barracks, Gosforth Park, Benwell, Post Office and Vickers Armstrong.

1948/49 All games away. Appreciation expressed to Ashington Welfare Club who lent their ground for the German POW game! Still looking for a ground.

1949/50 Tynemouth CC on alternate Saturdays. Share ground with British Railways Ladies’ team! Tribute to Ladies’ Committee. Now we have our own ground, felt we should give opposition light refreshments. But Club could not get any ration allowances for this, (wartime food rationing still in place) but ladies had given us teas and had further added to the prestige of the club.

1950/51 Continue to share Tynemouth CC with BR Ladies team. Suggested that all games be umpired by neutral umpires. Mr. G. Eaves had offered to organize such an Umpires’ Association/ Thanks to ladies’ own supplies. But still produced teas that wren the best in the County. Away match at Berwick. How to get there? Decided to have a coach and break the return journey for dinner. This would become the annual outing. Priory Motor Company had a 29-seater coach for £9-00 and dinner would be at Beadnell Hall Hotel at 7/6d a head. Ladies invited to attend. £9 raised by a Lottery Name Card. Morpeth HC intimated that they may be playing Sunday matches in 1950/51. Club to run one team only and restrict membership to 20 so all could have a fair number of games. Neutral umpires again advocated.

1951/52 Club should buy 18 shirts wholesale! Ground continued to be shared with BR Ladies at Tynemouth. Ladies’ committee continues to serve teas for the club using their own rations. Teas were the envy of all visitors! Ministry of Food permit for supply of tea, sugar and margarine had been granted to the club during the season.

1952/53 Team enters County Tournament at Morpeth. Won our section but lost 1-0 to Berwick in the final! Parts of Tynemouth CC ground to be rested and so hockey pitches will need to be resited. Certain amount of give and take with St George’s (who share the ground with us) as one pitch will have to be slightly smaller, but we will press to retain the west pitch – give and take! Players pay 1/- for home teas. Still the envy and wonder of visiting teams. Ministry of Food has again given us food licence for supply of tea, sugar and fats. Berwick outing was a great success. Need for new members-secretary to contact Welfare Officers at Reyrolles, Vickers Parsons and Headleys. Jubilee Celebrations – how to celebrate this during the 1952/53 season. Dinner to be held.

1953/54 November 8th 1952. Jubilee Dinner held at the Crown Hotel. 35 members present at 10/6d a head. Still at Tynemouth CC. Relations cordial. Teas made in the pavilion, but a small charge made for use of Calor Gas. Charge for teas raised to 1/6d per player for home games.

1954/55 Teas excellent again and give us the “reputation of being the most hospitable club in the district!” Citizens’ Advice Bureau to be given the name/address of President and Secretary for any enquiries from potential new players.

19955/56 A team to be entered in the Billingham 6-a-side tournament.

1956/57 Berwick trip/social cancelled because of lack of support. Allis well at Tynemouth CC. St George’s asking for limited number of Sunday fixtures. “A little more thought and planning of tactics was required if more matches were to be won.” Ladies’ Night and show. Dinner at County Hotel followed by a show at the Empire Theatre. Club looking for a new ground. Northumberland and Durham Umpires’ Association formed. E. Story joined (7/6d) and he had obtained a guarantee that every club providing an umpire would be allocated a neutral umpire for games.

1957/58 Ground at Tynemouth now very expensive and pitch in need of attention. No Berwick outing this year. “The club needed young blood and the only way was by advertising. We must report all our fixtures and meetings in the press. Each match result should be reported. St George’s always reported in the press and Hockey World and they had succeeded in getting 17 new players.

1958/59 New club formed in the district-Gateshead Fell. Later known as Swalwell and now Gateshead. Unsuccessful application for use of St Nicholas’ Hospital Ground. During a match with Stockton a large sum of money was stolen from the changing room. Suggestion that reduced subscriptions be introduced for schoolboys. Still looking for a new ground. Possibility of George Angus Ground.

1959/60 Unsuccessful application for use of Benwell Hill CC and George Angus Grounds. Ladies’ Night had to be cancelled through lack of support. But plans for this year in hand – meal at the Crown Hotel and then on to the Empire Theatre to see Marino Marine Quartet – cost £1.00. “It was time young members put more into the club.” Treasurer should write to those members who have not paid their subscriptions and request payment immediately.